Trapped
by PrehistoricCat
Summary: set post series 3, Becker and Sarah have been waiting anxiously for their friends to return through the anomaly, will Danny, Connor and Abby make it back to the present day?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Primeval and its characters belong to Impossible pictures**

**A/N: Have had this sitting on my laptop half finished for ages, thought it was time it got an airing and was finally completed.... As always, comments and feedback are really appreciated**

* * *

Becker and his team had been guarding the anomaly at the test track for three days, fifteen hours and 35 minutes. That's how long it had been since Danny, Connor and Abby had gone through it. He was starting to think they would never return, but Sarah had refused to let him give up. He ensured there were always at least 4 men at the site, with orders to shoot anything that came through unless it was them.

Sarah waited by the anomaly too, anxious for her friends. What had happened to them? Why hadn't they come back yet? She feared Helen had killed them, but until she had proof that was the case, then she wouldn't give up on them, not ever.

The silence was suddenly broken by two of the soldiers jumping up and raising their rifles "Something's coming through, Sir!"

Becker and the other soldier also leapt to their feet, rifles raised, and all 4 clicked simultaneously. "Hold your fire until we know what it is" Becker said, his focus not shifting from the glowing ball in front of him.

Sarah took a step back, who knows what would come through this time? She too could now see something. It was a human, wasn't it? Becker could see it as well, he motioned for the men to lower their rifles. The figure stumbled forward and landed in a heap on the floor

"Connor!" Sarah ran to him. "Connor! Are you OK?" she knelt at his side.

"Are you a sight for sore eyes!" Connor gasped. "I'm OK, just busted me leg a bit"

"Where are the others?"

"They're right behind me, Danny pushed me through first" as Connor sat up, another figure came tumbling through. The anomaly seemed to swell to twice its size and what looked like lightning shot from it. It began to crackle. Connor had never seen one do that before.

Danny lay on the floor, laughing. "Home!"

"It's good to see you both" Becker said. Sarah had already helped Connor to his feet, and was now helping Danny.

"You've got no idea how good it is to see this place again" Danny said.

"Abby! Where is she?" Connor said, looking at the anomaly.

"She was right behind me, she should have been through straight after me" Danny said.

More sparks of lightning shot from the anomaly as Connor approached. "I don't like this" As he got closer, he saw something that made him gasp – he could see Abby inside the anomaly, but she was translucent, like a ghost. "Abby?" he tried to reach into the anomaly with his hand to help her through, but he was hit by a spark, like a massive jolt of static electricity. He tried again, and received a shock that threw him backwards and onto the floor.

"Why can't she come through?" Sarah asked.

"I don't know, we've never had this before. It's like there's a force field around it or something" Connor said, his voice trembling. Abby's image was there, ghostly, eerie. She was calling for Connor, holding out her hand, the fear evident across her face "I can't hear her!" He sobbed "Abby!!!"

No- one knew what to do, they all felt completely helpless. All they could do was stare at the pulsing anomaly, and Abby.

--

Abby had been right behind Danny. He had insisted Connor went first as he was injured. As Danny had stepped forward, she saw the anomaly swell and begin to shoot out sparks. She thought it was about to close, so ran forward. She'd done this a dozen times before and braced herself to land on the other side, but she didn't go through. It felt like hitting a wall. She tried to move forward, but every time she moved, a bolt of lightning shot out at her, sending an electric shock through her. She tried to turn and go back to where she'd come from, but the same happened. She was trapped inside the anomaly.

She was scared. She could see the others in front of her, Connor was there, she could see him saying her name … but why couldn't she hear him? "Connor!!" she shouted. She saw him try to reach into the anomaly, but he fell backwards. "Connor!!" she reached out to him, but knew he couldn't hear her, and that there was nothing anyone could do.

--

Danny was the first to make a move, someone had to take control of the situation. "Connor, I need you to go and get that leg looked at, we'll stay here and try to figure out something"

"No. I'm not leaving" Connor was defiant.

"I'm not going to argue with you, Connor, but you are not going to be any help to anyone, let alone Abby, whilst you are in this state. You're the one with all the knowledge of how these things work, we need you at your best" Danny placed a hand on Connor's shoulder. He knew what was going through Connor's head, but he needed him to be focussed if he was going to be any help. He couldn't concentrate if he was in pain.

"I'm not going anywhere whilst Abby is stuck there!" Connor shouted.

"Becker, take him to the infirmary" Danny said.

Becker approached and took Connor's arm. "C'mon mate" he said. Connor swung his fist in an attempt to hit Becker, but he'd seen it coming and grabbed his arm. "Connor, we can do this the easy way or we can do it my way" Connor knew he was defeated and began to walk towards Becker's car.

Sarah followed him and spoke softly "We'll make sure nothing happens to Abby" she stroked his arm. He looked at her, fighting back tears, exchanging a look that said "thanks" before getting into the back of the car.

Danny and Sarah watched them drive off then turned to the anomaly. They could see the ghostly form of Abby, her eyes wide in fear. Danny felt awkward staring at her, it felt like he was looking at some freak show at the circus. He turned his attention instead to the device set out on the ground, the device Connor had invented for locking the anomalies. Maybe a solution lay with that?

Sarah felt less awkward. She stood in front of Abby, holding out a hand as if trying to comfort her. "It's going to be OK, Abby" she said, hoping she could read lips well enough to know what she was saying.

"Where's Connor?"

"Gone to get his leg looked at. He'll be back" Sarah said. Abby nodded.

Danny moved to stand beside Sarah. "We're going to get you out of there, I promise" he said.

--

Abby was trying to stay calm. She knew every movement she made gave her a painful shock, so she focused on staying as still as she could. It was comforting seeing Danny and Sarah there, but their worried glances also frightened her. She was glad Connor was getting proper medical attention for his injuries, she'd been worried about him when they in the Cretaceous, but she desperately wanted to see him there in front of her too – he was probably the only one who could help her now, and the sooner he got back, the better.

She had no idea how much time had passed when she saw more activity. She felt a rush of relief when she saw Connor's familiar grin again. He was on crutches, his leg heavily bandaged. "Is it broken?" she said

"No, just torn some ligaments" he said. He was looking at her and she wanted to be able to reach out to him. They'd gotten really close in recent weeks, and they had both taken the little things for granted, like a comforting arm, a shoulder to lean on. She would give anything to be able to just rest her head on his shoulder right now. He was as scared as she was, she could see it in his eyes, despite him trying to hide it behind his smile.

"Now, let's get you out of there eh?" he said.

--

"Talk to me, Connor" Danny said. He had sat and watched Connor for the last hour and felt completely useless. Connor had not said a word the whole time, other than the occasional cuss when something didn't add up the way he wanted. He'd gone around the anomaly several times, taking readings, scratching his head with his pencil. He had then sat at the laptop that was connected to the locking device and began typing away furiously.

"I take readings at every anomaly, they're all similar, behave in the same way – but this one is different. The readings are all over the place, it's changing all the time. I've never seen one shoot out bolts of lightning. That's what makes this so hard. I just don't know what I'm dealing with" Connor looked at Danny. He was exhausted.

"OK, I get that part" Danny said. "What if … what if the anomaly closes?"

That thought had crossed Connor's mind too. "It's not going to" he said, matter-of-factly

"It's a possibility we have to face" Danny said. "It could just close, without any warning. We've both seen that happen. If it closes, and she's still inside …."

"Then we lose her" Connor said, looking away "But I won't let that happen. I'll get her out"

Danny admired Connor's resolve and wished he could be so optimistic. "Your locking device, could it help?"

"Maybe. It reverses the polarity of the anomalies, but this one changes so much I don't know what its polarity is. And besides, that thing fires out voltages more powerful than a lightning bolt. If I aim it at the anomaly, it could increase the power even more and …" Connor stopped, not wanting to think about what could happen.

"And what Connor?"

"It would kill Abby" Connor's face was ashen. At this moment in time, he really didn't have a clue how he was going to get Abby out. Danny had his head buried in his hands, he knew things were not looking good either.

Danny sighed. "Connor. You need to take a break, clear your head. Becker's sent one of his men for burgers, he'll be back in a minute"

"I'll take a break when Abby's out" Connor said, turning back to his laptop and running yet another test. Danny knew he would not be able to drag Connor away.

--

Abby could see it was starting to get dark. Becker's men were setting up a couple of floodlights, and Sarah had disappeared for a while, returning shortly after carrying blankets and sleeping bags. It looks like they were settling in for the night.

She liked to watch Connor work. He would get a line creased across his forehead when he concentrated, and she could see it now. She wished he'd take a break though. Sarah came over. "You OK?" Sarah had said. Stupid question, but at least she cared. How did she feel? She'd passed the initial panic phase of being trapped in what equated to a confined space, now she was just scared. She had faith in Connor's abilities, and knew he was doing everything he could, but standing here gave her time to think. She knew the anomaly could close any moment, and that thought frightened her more than anything. It was something no-one had any control over.

"Tell Connor I want a word" she said. She figured it would be the only way to get Connor away from the computer for a while. Sarah nodded, and went over to Connor. He came over straight away, like a well behaved puppy. Dear, sweet, Connor, he was so predictable. Now she'd got him away for a moment, perhaps she could get him to go and get some sleep. "You look tired" she said

"Yeah?" he said.

"Yes. Go and lie down. You've been working so hard, you need to rest"

"Sorry Abby, I can't hear you, I don't understand what you're saying" She knew he was lying.

"Connor!" she shouted. Why was she shouting? It was pointless. "Please, for me" she said. He looked at her. She gave him a stern look, the one she used when he hadn't cleaned out the bath after he'd used it. He knew he was beaten and he turned towards the makeshift camp that was being set up.

"Goodnight Abby" he said

"'Night Connor" she replied. She watched him hobble over to Sarah, who placed a blanket around his shoulders and pushed him towards the shelter. Abby finally allowed herself to cry. She moved her hand to try and wipe the tears, but received a shock. Her arm tingled for several minutes. The shocks were getting stronger, and she wondered how long it would be before they were so strong that they'd kill her. She was more scared than she'd ever been, and for the first time in her life, she was having to rely completely on someone else.

--

Connor had tried to sleep, but how could he when his best friend, the girl he loved, was stuck inside a giant ball of electricity. He crept past Sarah the best he could with his bad leg, and hobbled over to the anomaly. Danny was sat, crossed legged, in front of it. "You're supposed to be resting" Danny said

"I couldn't sleep" Connor said. Abby's eyes were closed. "is she asleep?"

"No, she's thinking. We were talking about you guys, and how she took your mind of your pain"

"The happy place?" Danny nodded. "When we get her out of there, I'm going to take her to the beach" Connor smiled, fighting back tears.

The anomaly suddenly began to pulse and make a loud humming noise. Connor was on his feet immediately, Danny was too. He looked at Connor "is it closing?"

Connor could see Abby's terrified expression, she was screaming "Connor, help me!". He reached out, trying to touch her, ignoring the shocks he was getting. She was reaching towards him too, and he could swear her hand looked more solid – she was coming through!

"Abby! Just a little further, you're almost here" he yelled. Then, he found himself flying backwards through the air and hitting the ground with a heavy thump. He rolled around in agony, the fabric of his jacket sleeve was singed and still smoking, his arm red where the lightning bolt had hit him. He lay there, gasping for air, then staring in horror at the anomaly. It looked like an angry thunderstorm, and Abby was still inside.

"Connor, we have to do something!" Danny said.

The noise had woken Sarah and Becker, who had now run over to Danny and Connor. "Connor, the locking device, we have to try" Sarah said.

"But it's not …. The readings aren't stable enough … it could do more damage than…." Connor gasped.

"If we don't try something now, Connor, that thing is either going to implode on itself and take Abby with it, or she's going to fry with all that electricity around her" Danny was practically shaking Connor. "Either way, we're going to lose her. We have to try!"

Sarah was already firing up the device, tapping away at the keyboard. "What setting Connor?" she asked.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed Sarah aside and took over the keyboard. "OK, we start with a low setting, and gradually increase it. Danny, watch Abby, if she shows any sign of distress, then tell me!"

Danny positioned himself so he could see Abby. Her eyes were wide, terrified. "Abby, we're going to try something. We don't know if it'll work, but we have to try" Abby nodded. She trusted Danny, she trusted Connor. She knew they wouldn't take a risk unless they had to.

Connor hesitated, glancing at Sarah. "You can do this Connor" she whispered. He pressed the button that set the locking device working. Nothing happened, so he increased the voltage slightly. He fiddled with a few switches, and watched for a response.

"She's still OK, Connor" Danny called. "She's nodding at me, she wants you to keep going"

Connor continued to increase the power slowly, all the time looking at Danny. The anomaly began to spit out sparks and the humming coming from it grew louder. Danny took a step backwards to avoid being hit, all the time watching Abby's face for a sign of her being in pain.

Suddenly, there was loud crack and a flash of light, sending Danny flying. There was a loud scream as Abby fell to the ground. Then silence. The anomaly had disappeared.

There was a moment of relief all round, and for a moment, they all stood just getting their breath back. Becker took a step forward towards Abby "Danny, she hasn't moved". Both men were at her side in an instant, and they went into an automatic mode, their first aid and survival training taking over. Becker felt her neck and placed the back of his hand above her mouth. "No pulse, and she's stopped breathing"

Danny began pumping her chest, as Becker prepared to give mouth-to-mouth. Watching a few metres away, frozen to the spot, Connor was sobbing "I killed her, I killed her, I killed her……"

"Sarah, call an ambulance, tell them she's been struck by lightning… and then try to calm him down" Danny said, nodding towards Connor. He and Becker continued their efforts as Sarah gave the ambulance directions to their location. Connor was shaking and getting more hysterical as the seconds ticked by.

"… I killed her, I killed her…"

Sarah came over to him and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close to her. "It's OK Connor" she whispered, stroking his hair. She was struggling herself, fighting back tears. It wasn't good. Danny and Becker were still at it, looking more and more desperate. Connor was now sinking to his knees, so she followed him down, trying to offer him some comfort. "It wasn't your fault, we had to try something"

The sound of the ambulance siren seemed just a dull noise to him, he felt like his whole world was collapsing around him. He heard shouting, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. The last thing he remembered was a male voice talking softly to him, and then being injected with something, just as he blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Primeval belongs to Impossible Pictures, not me**

**A/N ... I suppose this could have gone one of two ways, and I debated for a while what to do .... **

* * *

Connor awoke in a room he vaguely recognised, but it wasn't his own. His head felt like he had the mother of all hangovers and he could barely lift it from the pillow. After a few seconds, a familiar smell filled his head and he realised he was in Abby's bed. He almost hoped this meant that the events of yesterday were all a horrible nightmare, but as he attempted to roll over, pain shot through his arm. He looked at it, remembering the burn he'd received from the anomaly….yesterday hadn't been a nightmare, it was real … and he had killed Abby.

As everything came flooding back to him, he curled into a ball, pulling the duvet completely over him. He could almost believe Abby was there, and as he began to sob, he breathed in the scent that was her. It was a small comfort. He probably would have stayed there for many hours, were it not for the sound of someone moving about in the kitchen.

He limped out of the room and was surprised to find Sarah there. "Hey" he said, his head hurting too much to even try to smile. Sarah looked at him sympathetically.

"You're awake! Can I get you something? A coffee? Some toast?" she said.

"Coffee would be good, thanks" he said, flopping down on the sofa. He watched her moving about the kitchen, liking the fact someone was fussing over him, but wishing it was Abby. "Was it you that brought me home?"

"Yeah. I slept on your sofa, the paramedic said you shouldn't be on your own after the sedative he gave you"

"Thank you. Did you put me to bed too?"

"I couldn't get you up the stairs, so I put you in Abby's bed" Connor nodded. He was almost glad of that fact.

"How long was I asleep?" he scratched his head, trying to clear the fog he had in his brain.

"14 hours. You needed it Connor, you've had one hell of a few days" She handed him a mug. She watched him for a few moments, then went back to watching the TV. She was concerned about him, they'd all been. Connor had been so hysterical that the paramedic couldn't examine the burn on his arm until he'd been sedated. He was then so out of it he had to be carried to Sarah's car by Becker.

Connor looked around him. Next to the sofa was a framed photo of him and Abby, taken last summer when they'd been to the local fair. He smiled at the memory of that day, then began to cry. "She's gone Sarah, and it's my fault!"

Sarah put her arms around him "Oh Connor, is that what you think? …. Of course, you were out of it! The paramedics got her heart going again and then rushed her to hospital"

His mouth fell open "She didn't …. She ….?"

"She's OK. She was still unconscious when Danny left her earlier this morning, but they said that was normal. Becker's there now and he promised to call me if there was any change."

He got to his feet, wiping away the tears that streaked down his cheeks "I need to see her"

"Not so fast! I'm under strict orders to make sure you're looked after too. Abby would never forgive me if I didn't" She smiled "Go and get a shower, and I'll make you something to eat"

"Beans on toast, with an egg on top?" he said hopefully, suddenly feeling very hungry.

"I think I can manage that" she said, as he disappeared into the bathroom.

--

Becker was stood outside Abby's hospital room when Connor and Sarah arrived. "She woke up about 20 minutes ago. I was going to call you, but you said you were on your way anyway. The doctor is with her at the moment, there's a few things he has to check" Becker tried to smile and Connor felt a huge sense of relief, but Sarah could tell Becker was holding something back.

"What do you mean, a few things he has to check? Becker?"

Becker sighed. "When she woke up, she couldn't move her legs, she had no idea what had happened …and she couldn't see. The doctor is doing tests to determine the extent of her symptoms"

Connor slumped down to the floor, unable to speak. His elation at finding out that she was alive turned to despair. "Why?! Why her?! … why didn't I just leave it alone?"

Sarah wrapped her arms around Connor and he buried his head into her shoulders "None of this is your fault. We did everything we could to get her out of there alive, she will understand that"

"If you hadn't done anything at all, you'd be sitting at home now mourning for her and wishing you'd tried something." Becker said, placing a hand on Connor's shoulder "Don't be so hard on yourself"

The doctor came out of the room "Are either of you Connor?" he said, looking at Becker and Connor.

"That's me"

"May I speak with you?" the doctor looked serious. Connor nodded.

"We're all friends. Anything you have to say, I want these guys to hear too" he said.

The doctor turned to all of them. "Your friend is suffering a number of symptoms, all very common with victims of lightning strikes. In many cases, the symptoms are only temporary, the paralysis and blindness only usually last a few hours and we should see her make a full recovery over the next day or so"

Connor let out a sigh of relief. "What about the memory loss?" Becker said.

"She doesn't remember what happened, and she seems a little confused about events leading up to it, but apart from that, she seems fine. She was asking after you, Connor, she wanted to know if you were OK" The doctor smiled briefly, then his face changed again. "Our main concern is the burns she received. I'm going to arrange for her to be transferred to the special burns unit in Chelsea so they can be properly assessed"

Connor took it all in. That didn't sound too bad, considering only an hour ago he thought she was dead. They'd get through this. "Can we see her now?

"Of course, but remember she'd been through a massive trauma, so keep it brief. I want her to rest as much as possible".

"Thank you" Connor shook the doctor's hand.

As the three of them walked into Abby's room, Connor suddenly felt worried. He wasn't sure he could handle seeing her in this condition, a condition he felt responsible for. He hung behind Sarah and Becker, allowing them to do all the talking as he just watched. She looked so tiny in the bed, helpless. It didn't seem like Abby at all, she was usually so vibrant.

"I almost let slip about the anomalies to the doctor, I think I said something about travelling from the past" Abby was saying

"Don't worry, they think you're just confused" Sarah said. "Danny convinced the paramedics last night that you and Connor were hit by lightning whilst doing a weather experiment. When they started asking awkward questions, Becker flashed his Ministry of Defence ID badge at them, and they stopped."

Abby chuckled "I can just imagine their faces"

Sarah squeezed Abby's hand "Becker and I are going to leave you now, you need to rest, and I should call Danny and let him know you're OK"

"Thank you, both of you" Abby said. They both left, promising to come back later and Connor was about to follow behind, but Abby spoke. "Connor? You're not leaving too are you?"

"Of course not" he said. He didn't think she'd realised he was there.

"Come and sit with me for a while"

"The doctor said we had to let you get some rest"

"I'll be able to rest more easily with you here" she said. "I wish I could see you, …. I can hear in your voice that you're hurting"

"I'm OK, my arm's a bit sore and my leg …"

"I don't mean that sort of hurt Connor. You're blaming yourself for this aren't you?" His silence told her that he was. "I don't really remember much, but I do know you were trying to get me out, and you managed it. That's what matters" She was sure she could hear him crying, and she desperately wanted to reach out to him, but she sensed he was not close enough "Connor?"

"We should have realised something like this might happen, maybe I could've got you out there sooner without … without hurting you"

"Connor, stop it! This is not your fault" Abby listened, waiting for his response. He didn't speak, but she could hear his breathing and little sniffs. She could just picture him, that expression he always gets when he doesn't know what to say. The bed dipped as he sat down next to her, she could feel his warmth through the thin sheet she had over her.

His fingers lightly touched her cheek, making her jump slightly. She felt him wipe a stray tear away and she was shocked at how intense this simple gesture felt. His other hand then gently stroked her hair. She lifted her hand and lightly brushed Connor's cheek, he probably needed her touch as much as she needed his right now. She felt him move closer, and then, his lips on hers, warm and soft, comforting. She tried to kiss him back, but he pulled away, leaving her a little disappointed.

"I should go, you need to sleep" he whispered. "I'll come back later, I'll bring you some chocolate if you like?"

"That would be nice" she smiled at him. She hoped he was smiling back at her. The bed lifted as he got off and she heard his footsteps as he went towards the door. "Connor…"

"Yes Abby?"

"Thanks" she heard him leave, the door clicking shut behind him. She sighed. Connor wasn't the only one that struggled to find the right words when it came to saying how they really felt, she just hid it better.

--


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Primeval belongs to Impossible pictures**

**A/N: Must admit to not being entirely happy with this ending, had a real block with this :( Would welcome any suggestions ...**

* * *

Abby's recovery was frustratingly slow. Not the injuries you could see; she'd been in the burns unit for a month and everything was healing as it should be; but it was the damage that had been done internally, and to her mental wellbeing, that was taking time to repair.

She hated having to rely on others, and just as she thought she was overcoming one obstacle and getting her independence back, something else would happen and set her right back again. Her eyesight had come back within 24 hours, as the doctor had said, but she would get terrible pains behind her eyes, and flashing lights. These attacks could last for just a few seconds, or they could last for hours. There was very little she could do when they happened, although sitting in a darkened room helped. The paralysis in her legs took a little longer to disappear, but when it finally did, Abby was ecstatic – a simple thing like being able to go to the bathroom unaided was a joy. She knew she'd be a bit wobbly for a few days, and hoped they'd let her use the gym in the hospital to get her strength back. Instead, she was using the hospital gym with a physiotherapist, learning basic co-ordination. She fell over her own feet if she tried to go more than a few metres. All this was getting too much, Abby was beginning to feel trapped in her own body. She was used to being active, physical. If this was how her life was going to be from now on … she almost wished Connor had left her inside the anomaly.

Now she was facing yet another setback. During a physio session in the gym, she suddenly felt weird and blacked out. When she woke up, she was in her bed on the ward. The doctor prodded and poked her, shone lights in her eyes and printed out something from a machine that she was wired to. Apparently she'd suffered a seizure. It could be a one-off, they'd said. It was another thing they had to keep monitoring.

Everyone kept telling her she was strong, and that she'd get through it. She could see their pitying looks, and how they couldn't actually make eye contact with her. She didn't feel strong, far from it, but she managed to convince people she was coping and they would go back to their own life, content and relieved it wasn't them … well, she'd convinced most people … there was one who wasn't convinced at all, and he was the one person she really needed to convince. He still felt guilty that this was all his fault.

Connor was sat on the edge of her bed with that worried look on his face again. "I've been looking up epilepsy on google" he said.

"I told you to stop doing all that, Conn!" she said "You can't believe everything you read on the internet"

"I know, but it doesn't hurt to at least have an idea of what we're going to be dealing with"

"We?" Abby said. Connor took her hand.

"Yes. I told you, you're not alone. When you're allowed home, I'm going to take a couple of weeks off to help you settle back into a routine. I already cleared it with Lester"

Abby snapped. "What makes you think I'm going to need help?" his face fell, and she felt bad as soon as she'd said it. Connor was the sweetest guy, he just wanted to help, and he was being realistic – she probably would need help when she went back home. Admitting it was scary though.

"I'm sorry. You know what? You're right. Maybe I should just leave you to it eh?" he stood up, looking hurt.

"Wait, Connor …. I'm sorry" she grabbed his arm. "Sit down, please?" he did as he was told. "I'm being such a cow to you, and you're only trying to help. I'm sorry" She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Am I forgiven?"

Connor blushed "S'pose so" he said, half grinning. "But you don't have to pretend you're the tough guy around me you know. It's OK to admit you need a bit of assistance"

He was so frustrating! Why could he always see straight through her?

"It's just that I hate feeling like this. My body doesn't feel like mine any more, it won't do what I want it do" she could feel tears welling up, but she was determined not to cry.

"Let's go for a walk" Connor said. Abby looked at him in disbelief "Seriously. Where are your shoes?"

"They're in the cupboard" he got them out and placed them on the floor. He watched her slowly put them on, trying to resist the urge to just bend over and help her. She stumbled as she tried to left her leg to push her shoe on properly, Connor reacted automatically, ready to catch her. "I can do this Connor" she said.

"I know you can" he said. "You ready? Do you need a jacket? We're going outside"

Outside. Abby had almost forgotten what that felt like. She followed Connor out of the room at a slow pace, OK, she had to admit she couldn't keep up with him without some help. He offered his arm, and she hooked her arm through his, leaning on him slightly. It actually felt nice. They made their way out into the cool night air, and Abby felt a chill go through her. "You cold?" Connor said

"A little. But it's OK. I haven't been out in the fresh air for weeks" she looked at Connor. "But if you're cold, and you want to huddle up for warmth, I won't mind" He slipped his arm around her shoulders and they walked together like that. They passed another couple out for a walk in the hospital grounds, they just nodded to each other and smiled. Abby didn't feel like a wounded, helpless person out here at this moment … she was just like that other woman, out for a walk, with a man she cared deeply about, a man who cared about her, and it felt normal. Maybe accepting help from Connor wasn't so bad. There was no pretence from him, he just took it all in his stride, and he was the only person who had made her feel normal in the last few weeks. She placed her hand on his cheek and made him turn to face her

"Connor?"

"What's up?"

"If this is it for me, if this is how I'm going to be for the rest of my life, would you help me?"

"Of course, that's what I said didn't I?" he smiled, stroking her cheek and using his fingers to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. He knew huge progress had just been made, and now she was willing to accept help, it would aid her recovery.

"I might be a bit of a grump at times" she said.

"Nothing new there then" Connor said, getting ready to duck in case she hit him. She just grinned at him. "Do you want to go back inside? Its cold out here"

"In a minute" she said. She leaned forward and kissed him, a soft, warm kiss, barely touching his lips. He pulled her closer, returning the kiss, pressing his mouth hard against hers. Abby felt a shiver down her spine, she wasn't sure if it was the cold, or Connor, that caused it.

"Come on, you should be getting back to bed" he said, offering her his arm again. Maybe he'd imagined it, but she didn't seem as unsteady on the way back, and there was a sparkle back in her eyes. Perhaps Abby had finally broken free of whatever she felt was trapping her and had started back on the path to a full recovery, Connor certainly thought so. He knew she .. they … would be OK, whatever was thrown their way.


End file.
